Feeler mechanism for looms



2 Sheets-Sheet l June 29 1926.

P. KEEGAN FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 11 1925 June 29 1926.

P. KEEGAN FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Nov 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 %;/7AM I B) ATTORNEY Fetented June 29, lg ti.

PATRicK knneAmoi FALL mien, iiAssAcHti'sETTsf, menses coit- PORATION, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MAINE.-

:e ELEiz MECHANISM FOR Looms.

Application filed. November This invention relates to teele'r mechanisms for looms tvherehy the operative condition of the 106111 is changed from time to time dependent iipon the condition of tilttilling in the shuttle.

It is now the ordinary practice to i'ovide looms with feeler mechanisms for ejecting replenishment of filling when the filling in the active shuttle becomes suhstztntigtllyhflt not quite, exhausted, and much attention and skill has b enexercised in the development of such mechanisms. Owin to the delicacy of such mechanisms and the necessity to-1" their response to filling conditions in the shuttle, it frequently happens that teeler mechanisms of some char-deters now in Use prematurely czill for e chenge of filling, end such premature cell by the feeler for re plen'ishment has been sought heretofore to be evoicledhy providing the teeler with lock which normally looks or holds the :t'eeler from the performance otits function until the filling is substantially exhausted. In such cases, the teeler usually contacts with the filling ondetecting beets and when the filling is substantially exhausted 0t just prior thereto, the lock is actuated to iiiilock the feeler. I

Where the feeler engages the filling on (letecting heats and is mounted for side-slip ping movement longitudinellyot the shiittle, the tendency of the feeler to move sidewise on a detecting heat has an injurious eiieet upon the filling in the shuttle, especially when the filling is of delicetecheracter.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a feeler mechanism Where in the teeler does not contact With the filling and is normally free to partake of its teeler movements, and wherein a lock is provided which is norinallyiiiilocked from the teeler and is moved into locki relation therewith on each detecting beet until the filling is siihs'tentielly eXhtiis'ted end thereupon fails to he moved into lockihg" en egeiiieiit with the teeter, so that the teeler my per form its function and call for a change (it The invention and the novel tests-res and nastiest-ti hten 6f psi-resilibest ins-es ciegtr trend the slitting descriptienjindthe aeempaiiyin g drawings of one goes term thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig:- 1 Y is apesspeetifi'tietst see 1 11,1925. Serial is. state.

side of e loom provided With the present invention and some of the loom parts being omitted for clearnes so'f ill'ust-retion; l

Fig. 2 is a plan i iew with some of the parts broken eway, howing the fe'el'er mechanism of the present invention en en enlelrged scale, and the relation bf parts when a w votkingsupply of filling is present in the shuttle oh e detecting beat; V s V Fig. 3 is a similar View to that of 2 showing the relation of parts when the fill-' ing is substantially exhausted on e detecting heat and the mentally unlocked locking meinher fails tel'ock the feeler end Fig. 4 is a sectional elevetion showing the relation of parts of the feeler ineelianisin at the present invention when the filling in the shiittle is substantially exhausted one de tec'ting beet.

Feeler iiiechenisrn's site how usiielif ehition, and, since they are noi v tv'ell undei stood in the art their description ahti illiistratio'n herein is niinecessiiy.

The loom frame 1 my id" of the construction and has eris'ingj froth the iisu'el ti'ensve'rse' or rock shaft eh irin to which is pivotally 'conheeted at 3 (Fig. 1) en a'ct'utit'ot 4; to the rear edition of tihicli pivotally connected at 5 the arm 6, thereer encl o'iwhich isadaptee to e engeed by a operating member 7 seciiied to or gorm'ed a;

it-reef the usual centimeter Thet verse or t ck slieibufithds" ironi i1 of-tlieleoih thee 11 la itis tasked t Oll'gll t1 0 (lessees-e fining; rep'iem'shment d In the tal arm 9 of which extends under a finger or projection mounted on the arm 6. The bell crank lever referred to is pivotally mounted at 1 1 on the support 8 and its downwardlyextending arm 12 in the present instance is connected at 13 to a transmitter 14 constituted as a rod, the end of which remote from the bell crank lever is connected at 15 to a slide 16 mounted in bearings at the rear of the feeler stand, as will presently appear.

Adjustablysecured to the arm 17 extending from the s'l'iipper stand 1.8 is a bracket 19 which may be employed conveniently for supporting the feeler stand 20. The feeler stand 20 may be adjustably secured in place by means of the bolt 21 and slot 22, Fig. l.

The feeler 23' is herein shown as of the inclined type and the parts of the feeler mechanism thus far described are or may be substantially the same as the correspond ing parts shown and described in the patent to Edward S. Stimpson, No. 1,309,226, July 8, 1919. In the Stimpson patent the feeler extends through a slot in the slide at the rear of the feeler stand, and the same condition is true in the present instance of the invention. In the Stimpsen patent, also, the feeler is mounted for engagement with the filling on detecting beats, but in the present invention the feeler does not engage the filling, as will more fully appear.

The feeler 23 has the frontwardlyextends ing stem portion 2% which passes through a swivel block bearing25 at the front of the feeler stand, similar to the like swivel block of the Stimpson patent, and between the swivel block 25 and the bridge 26 secured to the feeler is interposed a. spring 27 normally tending to move the feeler into its rearward feeling position, at which time the bridge 26 which rests upon the feeler stand, contacts with the rear bearing portion of the fccler stand and thereby limits the rearward movement of the feeler. .lVith tie exception that the feeler in the present invention does not contact with the filling and in some other respects to be hereinafter described, the mechanism hereinbefore described may be substantially the same as that more fully described and shown in the Stimpson patent to which reference has been made.

The lay 28 is provided witlr the usual shuttle box, the front wall of which has an opening 29 which registers with a corresponding opening 30 in the front wall of the shuttle 51v when the shuttle is in the shuttle box, as indicated in Fig. l. The construction of the lay and shuttle in these respects may be as usual. H

In accordance with the present invention, the feeler does not contact "with the filling on detecting beats and is normally unlocked 1' tree to partake at sideelipp ng move membc r ment, and in connection with such feeler the present invention contemplates a locking member which is normally unlocked from the feeler but which is moved into locking engagement with the feeler on each detecting beat until the'filling is substantially exhausted, and thereupon the lock or locking fails to engage the fecler and the latter is freed to;its side-slipping movement. In this aspect it will be noted that the feeler lock differs fundamentally from feeler locks heretofore used which normally look the feeler from side-slipping movement and free the feeler only when the filling is substantially or nearly exhausted.

Mounted in bearings pivotally carried by the feeler stand is the feeler lock, the rear end portion of which extends rearwardly beyond the end of the feeler and is engaged by the filling in the shuttle on each detecting beat. The feeler lock, in the present instance, comprises a sliding member 32 which is movable towards and from the front of the loom in the rear and front bearings and 3% respectively. The rear end bearing may be conveniently formed by a cap piece 35 overlying the edge of the slide locking bar 32. The front port-ion of the slide 32 is preferably formed as a stem 36 about which is the light spring L7, the front end of which rests against the bearing 34, and the rear end of which rests against an adjustable collar or nut 38 secured to the locking slide 32, the construction being such that the spring 87 normally tends to move the lock into its rearward position, and yet permits the lock to be moved frontwardly. The rear end portion of the lock extends rearwardly beyond the end of the feeler 23, as-indicated in Fig.v 1, and such rearwardly extending portion 39 has a laterally extending end 40, the rear surface ofwhich is designed tobe engaged by the filling on detecting beats. In the present-instance, the rear end 4-0 which extends over the rear end of thefeeler 23, is provided with a cushioned filling-contacting portion 41 which may be made of any suitable yielding material that will not injurethe filling by contact therewith on a detecting beat.

The front surface42 of the lock is shown as provided with a shoulder 43, which is normally rearward of the end of the feeler, as shown in Fig. 2 by dotted lines, when the feeler and feeler lock are in their normal undisturbed position, When,,however, the rear end of the lock is engagedby a working supply of filling in the shuttle on a detecting beat, the lock is pushed frontwardly until the surface 42 engages the rear end of the feeler, whereupon the feeler tends to sideswipe but is prevented from doing so by the shoulder 43, as indicated in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2 the filling carrier 44: has a working supp y at filling a Wou tlie je e ead the as 'for a change of filling.

tion above d'e erib'ed will continue until the filling approaches substantial exhaustion. That is, the normally unlocked teeler will be locked by irontward movement of the locking member when such member engages a working supply of filling in the shuttle on a detecting beat, but will fail to be engaged by'the locking member when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, thereby, in the latter case, permitting the feeler topartake of its sidaslippin'g movement to call for replenishment of filling as will now be explained.

The feeler 23 has a lug 46 extending therefrom, and threaded into this lug is the stem 47, therear end at?) or which constitutes a hunter for engagement with a surface on the lay when the teeler lock fails to be moved frontwardly on a detecting beat by a Working supply of filling in the shuttle, so that the feeler at such times is free to partake or its side-slipping movement, as indicated in Fig. 8,,an d call for a change of filling.

The hunter 4-8 is preferably adjustable to- V wards and from their'e'ar end of the ie'eler by means of the screw-thread connection between the stem 47 and the projection 41b, and the parts may be locked' in their adjusted position by the lock nut 4:9. The hunter is herein shown as engaging the front Wall of the shuttle when the feeler lock fails to be moved frontwardly by a workingshuttle of filling in the shuttle, to lock the feel'er, and under such conditions, since the shoulder 43 of the lock is rearward of the ezztreme rear end ot'the feeler, the hunter L8 may slide along the wall of the shuttle freely and call Of Course the bunter as might engage any other convenient surface on the lay, but either the wall of the shuttle or the shuttle box presents a convenient engaging surface.

When a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat and the iceler and feeler lock are in their normal rearward feeling position, as indicated in Fig. 1 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the

feeler is unlocked, and becomes locked only as the teeler lock itself is moved frontwardly by the working supply of filling in the huttle and the parts assume the position of the full lines, Fig. hen, however, the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, as in Fig. 3, the feeler lock will not be moved frontwardly suliiciently far to engage the rear end of the feeler before the hunter 48 on the feeler engages the side Wall o'l. the shuttle and shuttle box, and since the feeler is then unlocked, side-swipe movement of the feeler can take place to call for replenishment of filling.

/Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping feeler normally free to partake of its side slipping movement, a ie'elei? lock which is normally unlocked froii'i the feelei' to permit said side slipping movement and having a part which moved relative to the feeler into locking engagement with the ieeler by a surface v-xitnin the shuttle on each detecting beat when a working supply oft filling is present in the shuttle, and which fails to be moved into lockingengagement with the feel'ei' by the surface within the shuttle when the filliiig is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, and means actuated by side slipping iovement ol' the teeler to effect replenishmeiit of filling.

In a feeler-m'echanism for looms, the cou'ibination of a feeler mounted for movement longitudinally "of the shuttle to call for replenishment of filling and normally free to partake of such movement, a i'eeler lock which is normally unlocked ten the feeler when the teeler and teeler lock are in their normal. rearward position and which is moved frontwardly relative to thefeel'er by the filling into locking engagement on each detecting beat except when the filling is sub stantially' exhausted, and thereupon remaining; unlocked from the feeler that the latter may move longitudinally of the shuttle.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side swipe feeler normally i'lnl'ocked for side swipe movement, a lock which is moved into locking engagement with the feeler on each detecting'beat until substantial exhaustion of filling whereupon it fails to be moved into locking engagement with the feel er that the latter may side swipe, and means carried by the feeler to slide longitudinally oil the shuttle box with the feeler on ubstantial exhaustion of filling.

l. in a feeler mechanism ior'looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle to call for replenishing oi filling, afeeler lock which is unlocked from the teeler when the lock and ieeler are in normal rearward feeling position and is moved into locking engagement with the it'eeler by the filling on a detecting beat until the filling is substantially exhansted. and means carried by the feeler for sliding along a surface on the lttVWVllGn owing to such exhaustion of filling the lock fails to engage and lock the ieeler.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping feeler which does not engage the filling, a feel/er lock tending rearwardly for engagement with the filling and normally out of locking engagement with the feeler but moved into locking engagement therewith on a detecting beat until the filling is substantially ex hausted and thereupon remaining unlocked on that detecting beat to permit side slipping movement of the feeler to call for replenishment of filling.

6. In a teeler mechanism for looms, the

combination ot'a feeler mounted for side slipping movement, a feeler lock extending rearwardly of the feeler for engagement with the filling and normally out of locking engagement with the teeler but moved into locking engagement therewith on each detecting beat until thefilling is substantially exhausted and thereupon remaining unlocked to permit side slipping movement of the teeler to call for replenishing 0t filling, and a part carried by the feeler for side slipping engagement with the shuttle when the lock fails to be moved into locking engagement with the feeler on a detecting beat.

'7. In a teeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping feeler nor mally free to partake of its side slipping movement to effect replenishing of filling, a 'teeler lock which is normally unlocked from the teelez and having a part whichfs moved into locking engagementwith the ieeler when the feeler lock is moved front wardly on a detecting beat by a working supply of filling but which fails to engage the feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, and means actuated by side slipping movement of the 'feeler to effect replenishing of filling.

8Q In aleeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping teeler which does not engage the filling, a feeler lock which engages the fillingon each detecting beat and by its trontward movement relative to the feeler locks the'feeler from side slipping movement until the filling is substantially exhausted and thereupon fails to engage the ieeler as the lock is moved trontwardly that the feeler may side slip and call fora change of filling.

9. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping feeler which does notrengage the filling, a feeler lock having an end extending rearwardly beyond and across the endot the feeler which the filling on each detecting beat nd by its frontward movement relativeto the teeler locks the feeler from side slipping move ment until the filling is substantially exhausted and thereupon fails to engage the feeler as the lock is moved front-wardly that the tfeeler may side slip and call for a change of filling.

10. In a teeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a side slipping ieeler which does not engage the filling, a feeler lock having a filling engaging end extending across the end of the teeler and provided with a shoulder which prevents side slipping movement of the feeler when the teeler lock is n oved-frontwardly by a working supply of filling on a detecting beat but fails to engage the teeler when the feeler lock is moved frontwardly by a substantially exhausted amount of filling.

11. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising a side slipping feeler which does not engage the filling, a feeler lock having a filling engaging end extending across the end of the feeler and provided with a shoulder to lock the feeler from side slipping movement except when the filling is substam tially exhausted on a. detecting beat, and means actuated by the side slipping movement of the feeler to effect replenishment of filling.

In testimony whereof; I have signed my name to this specification.

PATRICK KEEGAN. 

